The World of Royalty
by onwingsofsnark
Summary: Kali is a normal second child. Her father is killed during a hunting accident while she's 5. The entire family of royals is killed one day. Her family must move to take the royals' places. Only one problem: she's in love with the miller's son! R&R HIATUS
1. Moonlight's Draw

**Nixiesocean: New story time! Kali is the girl from the end of _A Servant's Fairy Tale_. You need not read it first, since I have wonderfully put a summery of the story in this chapter, but anyways, you might want to. It's About Kali's mother and father, Lord Nolen and Lady Aisling.**

**Anyways, I give you, _Moonlight's Draw_.**

_Chapter 1: Moonlight's Draw_

I sat on my bed, motionless. I stared out the window, my eyes taking in the darkness spotted by moonlight. Brendan slept in another room now. I sighed and lay back down on the bed. I closed my eyes and tried to think of a happy memory, one that included Dad. I found it, one buried deeply. It was Brendan and I's fifth birthday. We had a magnificent cake, half of it pink, the other a baby blue. My side had flowers and ribbons of sugar while Brendan's side had tops, and other assorted _boy_ items.

I smiled. It had been a happy day, since I had slipped on the chair I was standing on and plowed face first into the cake. I had cried a lot. Those ribbons looked yummy, but I had ruined it! Mommy, I remembered her as, comforted me. She had the cook, who was slightly irritated with me, take away the cake and make a smaller one. I had been redressed. Daddy, as my younger mind projected, had laughed with Brendan. He had wiped the frosting from my face, laughing.

I liked Dad's laughing. Then, of course, the next memory was the one of new of our father's death. Why _had_ he been out hunting? Why was the spear miss-guided… toward him? I cried again. I needed a father, one I didn't have. I don't have any friends, because I'm a daughter of a lady. Brendan has his girls he flirts with, but none want to hang out with me. I end up inside, staring out the window like now.

I crawled out of bed, my nightgown trailing barely behind me. I grabbed a night robe and crept out of my rooms. I slipped out into the night air without even waking the door guard. I sat longingly up at the moon, full and round. I, being the second oldest, was not required to marry soon, but I knew I would need to eventually. I had to marry for our benefit, as a family. How I envy Rose, still a young girl of twelve. She was beginning to realize the benefits of men. Alex, about a year younger than Rose, was still ignorant to the world of girls, aside from them being "cootied".

"If I may intrude," A deep voice said behind me. I jumped two feet in the air. "My lady."

I turned, afraid to see whose voice it was. For all I knew, it could be a drunk waiting to take advantage of me. It could be a guard ready to drag me kicking and screaming inside to my mother, who would surely take away my books. The face that I saw broke up my thoughts of who it might be.

A face, slightly older than myself, I'm sixteen, looked down. "Um," I bit my lip. Mother always said it was unbecoming. I doubted pouting was meant to be becoming, but then again, I had seen village girls who pouted and boys chased her like a prized deer.

"I'm truly sorry to have interrupted your thinking, my lady." He said quietly.

After I calmed down, I realized he must be a servant. By his garb and addressing me, he had to be a station or two below myself. "It's fine, I really shouldn't be out right now." I replied. My strawberry-blonde hair tumbled out of its' loose bun. I frantically tried to put it back. Jon's eyes danced with amusement.

"Oh," He said. "Do you come out at night often?"

"No, really, I do not. I was depressed, so I thought some fresh air might do me some good." I narrowed my eyes. Since when did a _servant_ ask questions?

"Sound's like a plan, my lady." He spoke softly.

I yawned. It _was_ nighttime. "Excuse me, sir, but do you happen to have a name?"

"Yes, my lady. The men of the village call me Jon, I'm a miller's son." Jon said quietly.

"Well, Jon Miller's son, it is nighttime. I must be off to bed." I replied, looking deeply into his near-black blue eyes. In the darkness, I saw the moonlight reflect off his white-blond hair.

He bowed. "It was a pleasure, Lady…?" He gestured for my name. Our eyes locked, his deep blue with my jade-green eyes. My eyes flicked away.

"Berea." I said quietly. "My name is Berea."

"Well, Lady Berea, it was my pleasure." He held out his hand, to shake it. I took it, breaking my full lips into a smile.

"No, Jon, it was mine. I'm glad someone will talk to me for once." I gently put a hand on his. I hadn't realized the intimate contact till he flinched. I took one look at the endless depths of his eyes and fled.

-_Two Days Later-_

I sat enjoying the soothing sunlight. I looked across the open field. We sat on a bench facing the foothills. The tree line ended a few hundred yards away, providing a pretty spot one could observe the beautiful azure sky and still be shaded. Our lands, Four Fields, were a collection of, wow, four large fields. Servants and laborers who farmed and paid us rent tilled three of them. They left this one to nature, just as Father had declared. No one dared to petition my mother to have it tilled and farmed.

Something had kept reminding me of Jon; maybe it was just the sky. He had been nice and all, but below me. I couldn't marry a servant; things would just get too complicated.

"Kal," Brendan said, tapping my hand. "What's on your mind?"

"Bren," I teased. If he shortened my name, I'd shorten his too. "Nothing, my dear twin."

"Nothing is incorrect, my dear twin, there's something, and I want to know what it is. Since when have we kept secrets from each other?" He asked, his eyes locking onto mine. _Since two nights ago,_ I thought silently. "What happened two nights ago?" He asked, perfectly reading my mind. I had forgotten that particular aspect. "You were frantic, it woke me. Now, what's wrong?" His eyes leveled with mine, his chocolate-brown hair flipping into his eyes. He looked so much like Father; it nearly made me cry.

"_Nothing_ is wrong, Brendan. I have told you, now, leave me alone!" I said, tugging my hand from his grasp. I unintentionally brought up a thought of Jon. I had to learn how to guard my mind like Brendan.

"Jon?" He asked. "A Miller's son?" His eyes betrayed what I knew. Those hazel eyes, they made me wary of him sometimes.

"Kali, Brendan, inside _now_!" Our mother called. Mother rarely used maids to give us messages. We never knew why. I glared at my brother and hurried off to respond to my mother's call. We sat down, in her rooms. Someplace we rarely entered. We sat in age order, a reflex, Brendan, me, Rose, Alex. Brendan, with his more planar face, wasn't at all nervous. I couldn't help but worry. My mother rarely drew us to talk like this. This couldn't be good.

My mother paced. "I had to tell you sometime, but, um," She bit her lip and she walked back and forth. "The royal family has died." We were all shocked. There were far too many, two brothers, two wives, a mother and a father. "They were killed as they were visiting a neighboring country, killed by bandits."

My eyes grew wide in alarm. I recalled a memory, one long dimmed. Brendan gently set a hand on my thigh. _Shh_. I heard his voice echo inside my mind. "Mother?" Alex asked nervously. "What does this mean? We would have heard anyways."

"Alex, dear, you all are royal." She said. I knew, in some sense of the word. My mind recalled that memory, of Father and Mother talking about it. "I am, by marriage to your father."

"So? Are not there closer cousins to the throne? How close are we anyways?" Rose asked. Brendan already knew my thoughts. He didn't say anything, except to look me right in the eyes.

"Rose, love, we _are_ those cousins, though not really cousins. Princess Ella was my handmaiden, before she stole the prince's heart. Though, that's not really the point. The point _is_ that your father was Princess Ella's brother-in-law."

Brendan's mind calculated, so I immediately knew. My uncles, my aunts, my grandparents. "So, we are the next part of the family? Father was a brother of the royal family?"

"Yes," A tear leaked out of our mother's eyes. "Nolen was a prince, back before he ran away, met me, married, fell in love, and we had you."

I was startled. "Wait, so, you were married _before_ you fell in love? Is not that kind of backwards?"

She sighed. "I should've told you, but I'm noble by death right. The lord I served, as a scullery maid, was Lord Calné." I listened intently. Brendan and I's minds worked quickly, giving and taking information to stitch the puzzle together. "When he died, he left the land of Four Fields to Nolen and I." She breathed deeply, gaining composure. "We had to be married to become nobles and hold the land. At the time, I'll admit, I pretty much hated Nolen's guts." She _did_ speak improper English. She contracted. We didn't. "We fell in love, a long and complicated story in and of itself, and you all were born. We debated about taking you to the palace to meet your cousins. Then, Nolen died in a hunting accident." She had major guts, to spill her story like this. I nodded.

We sat there, taking this all in. Our mother sat, exhausted. "So, does this mean we'll be crowned?" Rose asked. She was so shaken up that she didn't speak proper English, I noted. Her hazel eyes danced around the room, never focusing on one thing. She and Alex were mixed, Alex with Mother's strawberry hair and Father's hazel eyes, Rose with Mother's jade eyes and Father's hair, dark brown.

They looked more like twins than Brendan and I. We were fraternal twins, not identical. Father's more planar face was softened by the younger two. Brendan, however, bore and exact resemblance to Father and I was identical to my mother.

"No, silly," Alex said, trying to act like his older brother. "_Mother_ will. We're all too young."

"Actually," She said nervously. "I'm not royal, I can't be crowned. With Nolen," Her throat tightened. "With Nolen gone, I have no reason to ascend the throne."

My eyes grew wider. Brendan responded for me. "So, it'll be," He stopped short.

"Brendan." I whispered, not believing my ears, or my mind.

**Nixiesocean: I edited and revamped this chapter. Thank you _Hermia_ for your suggestion! Review!**


	2. Kisses

**Nixiesocean: Hello and welcome to chapter 2! I hope to get more than three reviews, but I'll be contented with three, if I get that many. Hope you'll think this chapter just as good as the last.**

_**Responses:**_

**_SweetHermia_: I added more detail to Four Fields, thank you. Chapter 1 was edited and all. And I hope to continue, with support from reviewers.**

**_Rush of Waves_: Are you content? I created it before December. Then again, I finished _Isle of the Amazons_ before I thought I would. Anyways… I'm updating!**

**_Da Vinci at Work_: Thank you, for the detail compliment. If you catch my stoy lessening the details, tell me. I see the scene in my minds' eye, so… I don't catch those little things. Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**BTW: **_"Blah."_ **Is talking, though the character can't see the speaker. **_Blah_. **Is Kali and Brendan conversing mentally. Just thought you'd like to know.**

_Chapter 2: Kisses_

_-Brendan-_

My mother's eyes narrowed. "Yes," She whispered, barely audible. "It'll be Brendan." She turned to the two younger. "Leave us, Alex, Rose. Alex, send a maid or a runner to Sherri, tell her to get lunch on." The two younger children nodded simultaneously and left. Alex bowed and Rose curtsied.

I nodded reluctantly. As soon as our minds had arrived at the same point, I knew it'd be me. "Then who, Mother, will rule Four Fields?" I asked. "I mean, I was to inherit them next summer." Kali's mind agreed.

"Alex," Kali murmured. Her forehead was scrunched in frustration. "But he is only, what eleven?" Brendan's mind corrected hers. Alex had just turned twelve.

"He'll wait till sixteen, Kali." Our mother said. "We'll need to pack. The advisors requested us to be there," She rubbed her temples. "And Nolen said we wouldn't have to go."

"Mom, did we ever meet our family?" My sister, and twin, asked. Her blonde hair was starting to fall out of its' bun. Kali had a hard time keeping her hair in one style for long.

"Yes," The lady of Four Fields said. "Once, while you two were three."

"I overheard you and Dad talking once, while I was five." Kali murmured. I gently peeled the memory from her. She hadn't been able to sleep. She had snuck out of our shared rooms, at that age we were beyond close, and walked down the halls. She had heard Mother and Father talking. I shuddered. Father, in her memories, was more prominent, more exaggerated than in mine. She had loved Father, and I wondered why I hadn't seen it earlier. Kali turned towards me, her eyes boring holes into me like jade daggers. She knew I had seen her memory. I lowered my eyes in silent submission.

"Father," Our mother corrected. "It would surprise me, Kali. In any case, I'll need you to be strong, the world of royalty is a poisonous one." She whispered.

"What about Rose or Alex? Are they not also subject to rumors?" My sister asked.

"They will be, but you, Kali, are a maturing young lady, and a beautiful one at that. Many ladies will be envious of you." My mother turned from us. "Leave, tell Alex and Rose that after dinner we will pack. We must be off by noon tomorrow. After dinner, I shall call Sherri to my rooms. I will tell her she is the guardian of Four Fields until Alex is old enough."

"Yes, Mother." We chimed together. For an instant, our childhood came back. Memories in which we'd finish each other sentences, we'd talk together; ones where we were never apart; ones where we were still innocent of the world of royalty. I smiled inwardly.

_I remember those too_. Kali's mind commented. _I wish I was that young._

We walked down the hall, silent to anyone but ourselves. We silently conversed. _You know you'll have to marry for family power, right?_

_Yes, and you also_. Kali reminded me. _No more picking and choosing. It'll be the lady with the most power and money. Remember, the throne can be taken easily._

_How do _you_ know that? You're no older than me!_

_I read historical books as well as fantasy, dear Brendan._ We reached the rooms of our siblings. _Ascension of the throne can often times be bloody._

Her reminder stopped be dead in my tracks. _Will you live at the castle?_

_It depends on my husband._ She replied. _Maybe. I'm not sure. Why the sudden interest?_

_Because I want to keep an eye on my younger sis, Rose is still too young to have her heart broken._

Her eyes grew wide. Without our link, I knew she thought of that man, Jon. _Kal, you can't think of him, he's a _servant I brushed a lock of reddish-blonde hair from her eyes. _Besides, you deserve better than a man who can't pay your bride price._

A household servant passed by, wearing our livery. He bowed towards us. I smiled, Kali nodded her head in recognition and the servant went on. Kali turned towards me. _Get Alex, I've got Rose covered._ She opened the door. Rose exclaimed _"Kali!"_ I left to get my little brother. Alex could be a royal pain.

I opened the door quietly. What I saw astounded me. Alex was next to a young serving girl his age. Alex and her were kissing. I blinked. They were too absorbed in swapping spit to notice my noiseless entrance. Slowly, Alex moved his arms around her neck, pushing her face onto his. I stood there, leaning against the open door. Finally, sick to my stomach with the kissing, coughed. Alex looked my guiltily. The serving girl broke the kiss. She moved her rounded eyes my way. Her eyes grew wide in alarm. She rushed out the door, without even a peep. I shut the door.

"What in God's name were you _doing_?" I demanded of my younger brother.

His eyes flicked down. "She's a good kisser," He mumbled.

"Do you think her heart cares if she's good kisser? God, Alex, she might think you're in love, the way you were kissing her! Do you _feel_ anything for her?"

"No, and I've told her it!" He said hotly. We never spoke proper English around each other. Really, there was no point to speaking it, the people of the village couldn't even understand it anyways.

"Really?" I asked, amused. "And what did you say?"

His eyes never left the intricate pattern of the rug in his sitting room. "I- didn't." He admitted.

"How many girls _have_ you kissed?" I hissed.

"Today?" He asked innocently enough. I rolled my eyes.

"_No_, Alex, _total_." I said. "What if I told Mother you were swapping spit with a poor servant girl?"

"She'd do nothing, like the time I put soap in Rose's drinking water." We all knew about that prank. Mother loved Alex most. Everyone knew it, but Mother refused to admit it.

"How many girls have you kissed, total?" I asked, sitting down. He opened his mouth to ask another question. "Different ones, Alex."

"Twenty or so." He said. I let the number rest on the top of my brain for a while, then it sunk in. _Twenty different girls!_

_What has you so high-strung, dear Brendan? You're mind is too well guarded._

I breathed deeply. _Goddamnit, Kal, Alex was making-out with a poor serving girl!_

_And?_ She asked. _Oh._

TWENTY_ freaking different girls!_

"You're talking to Kali." Alex observed quietly.

"Shut up." I told him. "You're going to be enough trouble as is."

"No, I won't." He replied smugly. "Mom likes me _best_." With that, I sent a mental plea to Kali to get Mother and bring her to Alex's rooms.

_-Kali-_

I sighed and left Rose. I had told her I had to see something else. She happily went back to playing. She didn't play with dolls, no, she played with maps, tin soldiers and castles. She stormed "enemy" castles. Sometimes I wonder why Rose is a girl.

I sighed. _You know, he'll be much worse in a few years_. I told Brendan.

His voice was fainter than normal. Our connection wasn't strong enough to go further than a household away. _I know. I pray to God that he finds some sense before then. _I walked passed the paintings of our family. Our father's paintings had been taken down, at Mother's request. These were more recent paintings. One had been finished just the day before I met Jon. _You're thinking of that servant again._

_I know._ I mumbled mentally. Mother's door was in front of me now. _I'm at Mother's._ I knocked. Mother opened the door. I breathed deeply. "Brendan wanted you to come talk to Alex." I said. "Um, Brendan caught Alex kissing a serving girl, Avalissa."

Mother bowed her head. Through her mirror-image hair, I saw anger flashing in her eyes. She brushed passed me and walked quickly to Alex's rooms. I sighed and followed. _She comes_.

_Thank you._ I heard faintly.

I stopped just outside Alex's door. Brendan was already out, not wanting to be in there. _Think he'll get in trouble?_

_I sure hope so._ We stopped thinking to each other and listened.

_"Alexander Navyn of Four Fields!"_ Our mother yelled.

_"Yes, Mother?"_ He asked innocently.

_"Don't get sweet with me, young man. You're irresponsible and you know it! I've been lax with you, mister. Now, explain to me, in detail why exactly you were found kissing, by your brother, a servant girl!"_ We both imagined, at the same moment, our Mother's worn face in full fury,

_"Brendan set me up!"_ Alex whined. _"I was not kissing _anyone_!"_ I looked directly into Brendan's hazel eyes. He was angry. It was plain. The irritation that I felt emanated from him, with or without his mind-barrier. He was mad.

_"Oh, shush, you."_ Mother said, anger plain in her face. _"You've always blamed your brother for your faults, this time I _won't_ take it! You're a disgrace to this family. One more thing like this and it's the streets for you and your _younger_ sister will be the one to inherit these lands, not you. Understood?"_ We were stunned. Something about kissing must've really set her off.

_Did you know this would get Alex in this much trouble?_ I asked.

_No._ He replied. _But I knew he'd get in trouble._ He was worried. Mentally and physically, I could see it. _I didn't want him disowned, just reprimanded for once._

_Oh._ I said.

We stopped talking and listened intently. _"But, Mother, It was just a kiss!"_

_"I don't give a damn if it was kissing or not, young man, kissing is serious, not some thing to be tested on a poor servant girl!"_ Our mother rarely used foul language.

Alex was probably quavering right now. Ever since Father… died, Mother has had a terrible temper. _"Yes, Mother."_ We scurried from the door, into Rose's rooms. We smiled innocently as she played Storm the Castle. She looked up.

"I knew he'd get into trouble one of these days, the poor girls are always using my rooms as staging points. I've tried to convince him to give it up." She snorted. I smiled. Rose wasn't completely lost to "ladylike" behavior. "Like he'd listen to his 'annoying little sister'." She rolled her eyes.

"When's dinner?" We heard the door slam that led to Alex's rooms. Our mother's head appeared in Rose's doorway.

"Alex won't be joining us for dinner. I'll post a sentry, _male_, in his rooms." She smiled brightly. "Come on, Dinner's ready."

"Yes, Mother." We chimed together.

After dinner, I left the house and snuck to the tree line. It was summer, so I was out late, without it being dark. I pulled out a homespun cloak and picked up some dirt. I rubbed it on my nose, and cheeks. _I'm exploring, brother._ I told him before I got too far away.

I changed out of my lady's outfit and into a comer outfit I had filched long ago from the laundry. I rubbed some dirt, reluctantly, into my hair and put it up in a style much like the girls of the village. I looked at the pond. The clear reflection gave me a perfect mirror. The once, beautiful, proper Kali was gone, replaced by Berea, the only daughter of a servant at the manor.

Berea walked the streets; Kali rode a horse. I smiled. It was a good ruse. It had stood up to the villager's eyes for three years. "'Ello, Berea." A merchant waved. I waved back. I had often bought random things from him.

"Hey, Everin!" I replied. "Ye got any ideas whereas the millers' a livin'?" It had taken me a while to get the accent down.

"Berea, have ye not been' aside the village?" Everin taunted. I came up to him.

"And what-if I ain't been aside the village?" I smiled sweetly. "Miller livin' aside the village, den?" His dirt-covered hair used to be a brown, but was graying with age.

"Ye'r a sweet 'un Berea, and yes, the miller lives aside the village. Take dis 'ere road and the first bend ye come to, its' 'im." He ruffled my hair affectionately.

"Thank ye, Everin." I flipped a copper his way. Payment for information was always thanked, especially since these people worked hard for their living. A little extra was always good. I swayed my hips a little, flirting as I left. Men enjoyed those little things, thought I'd normally restrain from such flaunting behavior. If I wanted to be unnoticed, I had to blend in, as commoner girls normally did such things.

I walked, my feet splashing in the new puddles, it had rained the day after Jon and I met. I was about to turn into the Miller's house when Jon appeared, walking the opposite way from me. I didn't know what lay further down the road.

"Well, well," He smiled. "If it isn't Lady Berea!" He smiled.

"Shush, you." I said, dropping the commoner accent. He knew me as Lady Berea, not the lady Berea. "I've come to meet you." I smiled.

"Well, that's a fine thing." He said. In the normal light, I could see his hair and eye color normally. As I had suspected, he had white-blonde hair and deep blue eyes. "I was wondering when you'd come."

"_What?_" I whispered. "You _wanted_ me to come?"

"Sure," He said nonchalantly. "You're a interesting lady, Berea." The skin around his eyes crinkled as he grinned. "You're far different, sneaking out at night to see the moon, walking around town like a commoner. You're not a normal lady."

I looked down the road. It led right up to a mill. The mill wasn't running. "And you're a mighty odd miller's son." I observed. "You live at a mill that isn't working."

He sighed dramatically. "Of course, I'm found out. No, that one was too broken down when Da bought it. We've moved down the road a ways." He said.

I looked down. "Um, Jon?" I asked nervously.

"Yes?" He was concerned.

"I'll be leaving tomorrow." I whispered. I feared if I spoke too loudly, the day would come faster.

"Why?" He asked.

"B-Because," Could I tell this commoner? _Yes!_ A voice inside me said. _You know him well enough!_ It wasn't Brendan's contact. "Well, um, the royal family, and all, well, they died…" I trailed off.

"Oh, God, don't tell me you're to take their place?" He murmured. His face was creased with pity.

"No," He breathed out a sigh of relief. "My brother is."

"But-" His eyes glowed with realization. "You're- you're Lady Kali!" He said, pushing me away.

"Please, I didn't know at the time-" I tried to explain.

"How could I have been that dumb?" He kicked himself aloud.

He was still close. I yanked on the collar of his linen shirt. His face was level with mine. His deep blue eyes were wide with surprise. I pressed my lips to his, quickly releasing them again. "I'll remember you, Jon." I whispered. "I'll pray everyday that you do the same." I released him and fled, for the second time in three days.

I heard a voice. "Kali!" I heard him call. I didn't turn back. I knew if I did, I might just cry. "Kali!" The call was fainter. Finally, a last, desolate cry punctured my heart. "I won't forget you!" Tears streamed down my face. I'd only known Jon for three days, one of which I didn't even see him. I'd given Jon, a miller's son, my first kiss.


	3. The Post Crowning Ball

_Chapter 3: The Post-Crowning Ball_

_-Kali-_

I tried, with all possible concentration, to wave the thought of Jon away. I had to. I was to be crowned Princess as soon as I arrived at the palace. In an ironic sort of way, it would be good for me, to shed all memories of this place. Maybe I could truly fall in love with a powerful man. Maybe. Unlikely, but maybe. Arranged marriages very rarely turned out well. My parents, and fairy tales, are an exception. I know the real facts: power-holding women are the targets for any type of man, including those who would pretend to be in love, then break your heart… and your reputation.

I sighed. I don't mean to be pessimistic, but I don't think it will happen. I'd be overjoyed if it happened to my twin. He would probably be happy for me, I'm guessing. My mind kept straying back to Jon, and his face. How his hair framed his face, the softness of his lips. Why couldn't a nice person ever have rough lips? Something I could wish about him to be better. I shook my head. Brendan will know as soon as I get in range.

Which, I guessed, is right about now. I was right.

_Where have you _been_? You've _never_ been gone this long._ His voice quavered as he saw the state of my mind. _Oh, God, Kali…_ He moaned.

_I-I'm sorry._ I wept. _I didn't mean to…_

His calm voice comforted me. _It's of no avail, come home. It's taking my concentration to contact you. Mother's beside herself to find you. I haven't told, if you thought I would. I'm glad we're leaving, Kali. You're too reckless._

Brendan rarely criticized me. I knew it to be true. I hung my head. I had taken a back route, to avoid Everin. He'd ask what the matter was. _I'm coming._ I quickened my pace. Something else had been in his voice. _Brendan, what's wrong? She's frantic to find me, why? She hasn't before. I was only gone, what a half-hour?_

_Umm…_ He toned his voice down. _Alex, well, he left. Up and disappeared. The sentry didn't even know he was gone till Mother came to check on him._

I remembered Mother's threat. Alex had probably taken the better, in his opinion, of the two options and ran off. I breathed deeply. I couldn't lose my cool now. _He's _gone I clarified.

_Gone. Disappeared. Vanished._ Brendan confirmed. His mind left mine, then quickly returned. _Mother says we're leaving without him. Obviously, she says, he has no sense of duty._

_Got it._ I said. I never _did_ like Alex. But what family was complete without the annoying brat of the family? It'd be boring if there weren't. Alex, despite being that annoying brat, had had a special place in the family. I felt the hurt deep, wondering why in God's name he had left. All he needed was a little sense. He was too reckless to be out alone, God, he's only twelve!

The list of possible royals was slimming, rather quickly. I breathed and sprinted toward my home. My home for the next twelve hours.

_-Brendan-_

I hadn't been lying when I told my sister Mother was frantic to find her. Mother feared she had left as well. I comforted Mother, telling her she was safe, just that she had obviously left for a little while to get some fresh air and think over her new position as a princess. And none of that was false.

We weren't royalty stuff. We were the backwards country cousins of the royal family. We weren't the all-knowing royals, we were the people that cared for our farms and helped out on the farms when it was needed. We weren't the party-loving royals; we were the quiet, truth-telling cousins.

It would be a hard world in the court. It'd be a drastic change, a culture shock. I shook my head. I could clearly, without error, read Kali's mind. It was crazy about this Jon fellow. I couldn't help her any there. I saw her kiss, and an odd one. I was careful not to touch the conscious parts of Kali's brain, the one she'd know I'd been inside it. No, my friend, I was inspecting the part she couldn't control, the one that knew her deepest feelings, as God, I've never seen a person so out-of-control over someone. Mother had a look in her eyes when she spoke of Father, one I could tell was love. Kali had some other things inside her unconscious mind. She had worries about Alex, despite being an annoying pain; she had worries, mostly, about Jon. It bugged me, somehow, that I wasn't the main thing on her mind, like normal. I knew I should be happy, happy she had found someone she loved.

I wasn't. I was jealous of her. No girls, not even the ones I flirted with, ever had found me pleasing to the eye or ear. I knew things, sure, I could spout of random facts, but I couldn't write poetry or woo a girl. They fake-swooned at my false attempts at flirtations. I saw it in them. They were liars, and I can't abide by liars.

I sat in the chair. Kali came in, worries plain on her face. "Where's Mother?" She didn't even bother to speak to me mentally. I pointed to a washroom. We heard crying. I nodded toward it and Kali went over. "Mother?" She asked. "I'm home."

The door opened and Mother, with her jade eyes sparkling due to tears, flung her arms around her daughter. "Kali!" She said. "You're home, I was so afraid and-" She was abruptly cut off by the door shutting. I sighed and went back to reading the book. I left the girls to be girls.

I was just at an interesting point; the main character was just realizing his feelings for a girl as they kissed, when the door opened. Kali, smiling, came out with a smiling Mother. I hid the book and pulled out a boring history book. I had to read it, to catch up on my studies.

They didn't notice my book change; Kali's mind was still crazy about Jon. I had built a wall, slowly, over the past few years. For some reason, it had seemed like a good idea. I was glad now, because my mind was probably fretting over the book. I stood. "Are we ready?"

Mother nodded. I smiled. It was good she was in a good mood. As the commoners say, _"If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy."_ I left to pack all my clothes.

"Send for Sherri." I heard Mother tell Kali. She nodded and sent me a message. _Pack none of my jewels, Brendan. I want to._ Like I was going to! I laughed off the thought and turned right. Our rooms, conjoined as they were, were across the stairwell from Rose's and Alex's, both of which are also conjoined. I rolled my eyes. I gently placed my clothes into my trunk. I refused to let the maids do it. I wanted it the way I packed it, the memories forever sealed into the trunk.

I heard Kali enter. _How was it?_

_What? The talk between Mother and Sherri?_ We had never understood what was so important about Sherri. She was head cook… what else?

_Yes._ He asked.

_I don't know. I didn't stay._ She replied. She grimaced into the trunk. Only Rose had ordered a maid to pack for her. Alex never had a chance. _We're leaving, Brendan, we're really leaving._

I looked over toward her. I saw a small tear escape her eyes and fall into the truck. _Dear sister, this isn't the end, I think. I think it's the beginning._

_-Kali-_

I couldn't keep from crying as we left. We had left nearly right after breakfast. Alex still hadn't shown his face. We assumed he was gone. Mother didn't speak of him, and we all, including Rose, knew better than to speak of it. We kept silent, even between Brendan and I.

I cautiously tried to insert my consciousness into Brendan's. He had effectively built a wall I couldn't breech. For some reason, he was more sensitive toward mental touches than I; because he turned to look at me, unshed tears sparkling in hazel eyes. They glowed in the early morning light. I sighed. It would take a while to get to the palace. Finally, he touched my thigh. I had been anyone but Brendan, I might've freaked. It made our bond stronger if we were touching.

_Sister,_ He said nervously. _I-_

Our contact was broken as the carriage jostled. He had hit a rut. The guardsmen jumped off their horses. I looked out the window, keeping out of sight. Then I saw it, an arrow flying out of the trees. It stuck the carriage; it's sharp point partially coming through. Another flew straight and true, striking the wheel. It stuck firmly.

Arrows soon flew from every direction. We had walked away.

_"Move out!"_ The captain yelled. _"Get away!"_ The other guards jumped onto their horses and fled, still keeping up with the slow carriage. The captain of the guard was slain, an arrow imbedded deeply in his chest. I gasped. He had so much blood… I was feeling woozy.

The carriage took off at breakneck speed. I was jostled out of the reverie. Brendan's hand rested firmly on my thigh. _Stay awake, please._ He whispered. I fought the urge to throw up. I didn't know a human body could hold so much blood. _Stay awake,_ Brendan urged. I tried, by God, I tried. The thoughts, ones Brendan couldn't clear, invaded my mind. I didn't heave up my breakfast; instead I fell unconscious.

My eyes opened. The carriage had stopped. The smells of clean linen and a crackling fire assaulted me. Where was the carriage? I was in a lavish bed, surrounded by comforters and silken bed sheet. Above me I saw a delicate canopy, tied on each poster of the bed by more silken thread. Brendan wasn't anywhere.

Frantic, I called out. _Brendan! Brendan!_ He didn't reply. I was crazed now. Where was my twin? _Brendan!_ There was no reply.

I rolled out of bed, immediately wishing I hadn't. My head felt unstable. I remembered I had passed out… from what? My mind couldn't remember. I felt the lush velvet carpet under my bare toes. I was dressed in a silken nightdress. I looked past the heavy curtains that blocked most of the noontime light from coming inside. I peered out. I gasped. I was at least two stories above the ground. That was way more than any other time.

Someone opened a door. I looked. A meek girl with servant's livery was in there. She hung her head. "I'm so sorry, your majesty-" I sharpened my eyes on her. She had dark black hair pulled into a bun at the nape of her neck.

"Wait, 'your majesty'. I don't mean to be rude, but, I'm only a lady's daughter." I tried to explain.

"While Your Majesty was out His Majesty was crowned King of England." She said, never lifting her eyes from the intricately woven area rug. "I was given instructions by the Lady to not wake Your Majesty until Your Majesty woke."

"Umm," I bit my tounge. "So you were given instructions by my mother, Lady Aisling, to not wake me until I woke of my own will?"

"Yes, Your Majesty." She said.

I came over. "Lift your eyes. I want to see your face." She obediently lifted her eyes and face. She refused to look me in the eyes, but I took it for what it was worth. Her eyes, a light brown, were slightly too large for her round face. Her nose was slightly too long and her lips slightly too thin. Her eyes, set apart just slightly too far, gave her an odd appearance. "What is your name?"

"Lola." She said quietly.

"Lola," I repeated. "A beautiful name." I complimented. Only her well-trained servant's manners kept her from grinning openly. "Call me Kal or Kali, Lola."

"Yes, Your- Kali." She amended. She mouthed the name oddly. She had a foreign accent, one I couldn't place.

I took her hand. "Listen," I pleaded. "I have no knowledge of this place or of royalty." I confided. "Will you help me?"

"I had heard that you weren't trained to be royals, this confirms the rumors." She straightened up, "I will, Y-Kali." She said. "Though my first advice is to never, _never_, trust _anyone_ straight off." She smiled.

"Even you?"

"Even me." Lola affirmed.

I sighed. "This is going to be a drastic change."

"Yes, it will be." Lola patted my hand. "Come on, I'm your new handmaiden. It's time to get dressed for the Post-Crowning Ball."

I sighed. "Can I dress myself?"

"Sure, if you plan on putting _and_ tying a corset yourself." Lola commented. I shuddered.

"What's a corset?" I was truly a country cousin. I'd only been forced to wear loose shifts.

Lola stifled a giggle. "They're the bane of all women." She grinned as she pulled out a pink piece of cloth. I could see ribbing, and strings, to tie. My eyes grew wide as I looked at it. "Oh, don't worry, it'll stop hurting in an hour or so. Then, pray to God you can breathe at all."

_-Jon-_

A servant stood silent in the doorway. He had followed, leaving before the princess, to get here and hired in time. Jon, a now _royal_ servant, was holding a platter of scones from the cook. He was new, so he couldn't serve the new royal family, King Brendan, Princess Rose and last but far from least, Princess Kali. Jon sighed. God strike him if he lied, but Kali was never far from the servant's thoughts.

He had heard whispers from the vipers that resided at court. Those "ladies" had come up with wicked rumors to destroy the princess' reputation before she could even prove herself. He held them in heart, finding each and every one only to prove them wrong.

"She's a savage, raised by bears to fight tooth a nail," A particularly ugly woman had commented.

"I heard she's a _slave_ for a missing lord." One lady who wore her hair in tresses rumored.

"Really? God, that's worse than mine!" One giggled. "Some servant at her old household said she _ran_ around their _fields_ with her brother, the _king_!"

"Hah!" One laughed. "I heard she's working on her fourth husband. This past one lasted a _week_!"

One lady, lower on the social scale, judging by the way the women disregarded her, had said, "One man, a merchant at her old manor, said she walked around the village like a commoner, even _speaking_ and _laughing_ with them!"

Jon was indignant. Who could speak of Kali, kind, nice, caring, Kali? Those snakes, he reminded himself. Of course _they_ could. They _live_ on tearing each other down, but pretending to be friends. As he reviewed some of the rumors, he stopped at the second to last. Rumors about _running_ in _fields_ with her _brother_? How dumb! Of couse she would! She's what, sixteen? Jon smiled.

The ball was coming in. Everyone was silent as the king was announced. "King Brendan of Four Fields!" The herald called. A silent man, the new king, stiffly walked down the stairs. His hazel eyes were downcast, not believing this. His hair, a chocolate brown, was flying away. Just behind him, a woman, older by her looks, came up to the podium. "Lady Aisling of Four Fields, mother of King Brendan of Four Fields." King Brendan had yet to inherit the lands of his cousins, Swallow's Peak and part of its river, the White River. Princess Kali would receive Crossroads and the adjoining estate, Tririver. Princess Rose, the youngest would inherit Four Fields in four years and also inherit a portion of the Dark Forest.

Jon sighed. Princess Rose was introduced. Jon's deep-blue eyes flicked up to the dais when a certain woman approached. Jon hadn't taken note of the other women's garb, only Kali's. She wore a beautiful green dress. It had a modest neckline, lined with tiny pearls. The dress gradually grew darker as it reached the hem. She wore a simple silver necklace, what it was, Jon couldn't see from here. Kali's hair was pinned up, but spilled over, into delicate curls. She smiled, though Jon could tell she was pained by something. Her green dress accented her womanly curve and attracted even Jon's attention, as modest as he was. The dress also served as a beacon to her jade eyes. It drew everyone's attention towards her fine face. Her nose was small, but not too small. Her jade eyes, as bright as they were, held an inner fire. Her arched eyebrows framed her forehead, one slightly tanned by sun.

Jon gaped. He'd never seen his princess so beautiful. The first time, he had seen her in the dark, not able to see much more than that. The second time was with dirt smudged on her nose and her strawberry-blonde hair rubbed with dust. She now was dusted with sparkles and drew the light of the room into her very being. Jon wasn't sure she knew how truly beautiful she was.

He felt a tug on his sleeve. "What are you gaping at, you look like a frog?" An upper-level servant asked. "Get to work. Pass out those scones, do not, I repeat, _do not_ go near the royals. Yer not quite polished enough."

Jon sighed and left. The princess was just now taking the seat to her brother's left. Very intentional seating. The left hand was the hand that held the scepter; the symbol of royalty, the right was the one that held the orb, the symbol of power. He started with the near left, passing the scones. His path took him near the princess, but not near enough she'd see him, just enough for him to get a look at her close up.

He saw her necklace. It was a silver heart locket.


	4. Sir Jonathan of Swallow's Peak

_Chapter 4: Sir Jonathan of Swallow's Peak _

_-Kali-_

The men stared openly at Rose. I ate silently. Finally, a Harper and a singer came out. They strummed a tune. My brother turned to me. "I was told it is customary for the new king to dance with his eldest sister." He held out his hand.

I gulped. "D-dance?"

I heard voices, those trying to be silent but weren't, say, "I bet she couldn't even _dance_!"

I hardened my resolve. I took my brother's hand. He led me out on the dance floor. The Harper struck the new tune, a fast-paced song. The singer took up the tune, her voice lilting over the crowd of assembled nobles. It soared high during the speedier times, lower and peaceful during a slower part. I found dancing rather easy. Brendan held me lightly. I felt like floating on clouds.

Finally, after custom had its fill, the other nobles filed out to join us on the dance floor. Now, the Harper sped the song up and slowly changed. We were changing partners so fast; I couldn't remember who had touched me last. Finally, we were stuck with our current partner. I looked at him.

Long, black hair framed a lanky face. His nose was just slightly too big. His lips were permanently pursed into a small bead and round seeing-glass were on the bridge of his nose. Finally, he released me and "the changing of partners" commenced. I was spun around many times.

Another man held me now. His blonde hair reminded me of someone. His deep blue eyes, almost black, held laughter and his perfectly proportioned face was the envy of many men. I didn't get a chance to ask him his name. I was spun away. I couldn't concentrate on the dancing. That man, who had it been? I knew him from somewhere. Where???

_Shh…_ Brendan's voice was faint. _It's almost time for the slow dancing._

He spoke truly. The Harper's music slowed and my current partner place his hands on my hips. I slid my arms onto his neck. I blushed. No one had been so personal before. I looked up to see my partner. Those dark blue eyes met me again. I saw what he wore, near-black dress tunic with silver lining. His breeches were black. I looked back up at him. His eyes met mine. I smiled nervously. His smile warmed my world…

His face was getting close… I don't remember much, but the lack of air finally took its toll.

I fainted, right in that blue-eyed stranger's arms.

_-Brendan-_

I was worried for my sister. I saw her faint. _Sister!_ I called she didn't respond. I said a quiet apology to the woman, a blonde (it seems it's a common color here), and left to get my sister.

The servants wouldn't let me take her. "No, Your Majesty, it is not proper for Your Majesty to take Her Highness." They said politely. They knew I didn't know protocol. Tentatively, I reached out my mind to hers. What had made her faint to suddenly? I reached the source: "the torture device" her mind called it. Lola, her handmaiden, had called it a "corset". I stopped the servants.

"Take off her corset when you take her to her rooms," They lifted an eyebrow at me. "Shut up, take her to her rooms and take off her cursed corset!" When they started to laugh, I advanced on them. I _had_ to prove to them that I was the king, not them. I was vaguely aware of the whole party watching me. "You'll do as I say, and you'll do it _now_!"

They scurried away, to carry out my plan I hoped. I cursed the time my sister and I had spent at home. Our house wasn't extraordinarily large, so we'd never developed a need for much larger range than a household away. This palace, the Dance Hall even, was far larger than that.

I turned back to the dancers. "This ball has been dismissed." I spotted my sister's last companion. "You, come with me." I left the hall, my purple cloak swirling behind me. I heard him catch up. Those servants would get a whipping if I had been more educated. As it was, the Head Servant would take their price in blood from them.

"Yes, Your Majesty? I was merely in the right place at the right time…" He tried to reason with me. I sighed.

"Listen," I said. He nodded emphatically. "I need you to do me a favor." He raised an eyebrow silently. "I need you-" I saw a servant coming down the hall. "What did you think of the ball?" I asked, feigning interested. The man caught on. He wore deep blue with silver trim. The dark blue matched his eyes, bringing out the white in his blonde hair. The servant turned the corner. "Anyways, I'll need your help." I put a hand on his shoulder.

"What help, Your Majesty?" He asked, nervously biting his lip.

I don't know why I said it, but I just did. Maybe it was God, speaking through me, but by God, I said it. My hazel eyes locked on his blue ones. "I'll need you to court my sister."

"C-court your sister, Princess Kali?" He stammered.

"Yes." I said. "She's obviously interested in you."

Something flickered behind his eyes. "I can't."

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"  
"No disrespect meant, Your Majesty, but I can't." He assured me. He saw a door. I don't even know where it led. "May we speak alone? Here is the library." He gestured to it. It was plain. I snorted.

"That's not a _royal_ library!" I laughed.

"No, Your Majesty, it's the back-entrance." He opened the door. Lone behold, there stood the towering shelves of books. We entered. "Now, let me say something. Tonight was one night, I can't after this."

"You can't… what?" I asked.

"I- I'm leaving." He said. I snorted again.

"No, you're not. Tell the truth." I always have had a knack for telling truths from lies.

"Um… well…" He looked around nervously. He lowered his voice. "I- I'm just a servant here."

"There where are the clothes from?" I smiled. "Stolen?"

"No, um, I saved up to buy them." He had lied again. I rolled my eyes. I'd let this slide.

"Perfect! You are now a noble, Sir Jonathan of Swallow's Peak." I said, naming my soon-to-be-estate. "You're now a personal knight of mine." I declared drawing my sword. "Now, kneel." He gulped. I knew the feeling. I could be lying to have his neck exposed and slay him. I tapped his right, then his left. "Arise, Jonathan of Swallow's Peak." He rose from his knees, shaking.

Intentionally, of course, I had used the name of the man my sister had liked. "Thank you, Your Majesty… I think."

I patted his shoulder. "Call me Brendan if I can call you John." He was nervous, I could tell. "Deal? You can call me all that 'Majesty' crap in public if the need arises."

Sir Jonathan looked him in the eye. "Yes… Brendan." He looked like he had forced the informal term from his mouth.

I clapped him on the shoulder. "Wonderful!" I left the library feeling good. One thing nagged me, if I wanted to be the most prominent male in my sister's life, why did I just ask Sir Jonathan to court her?

_-Jon-_

He stayed in the library after King Brendan left. It made my skin crawl when I thought about it. He had used his name… unintentionally. He had knighted him, then and there, as Sir Jonathan of Swallow's Peak. His name was Jonathan. He shook his head. Jonathan was common name; it had to be a coincidence.

With his place as a knight, and a noble, secured Jon went about his business: one commanded by the king himself, woo Princess Kali. It confused Jon. Why would King Brendan want his sister being courted? Maybe… just maybe, King Brendan knew about Jon and Kali's kiss. Maybe King Brendan was trying to make Princess Kali's crush, Jon the Miller's Son disappear. Jon cocked his head as he left, trying to figure it out. Maybe King Brendan had heard from Princess Kali about the kiss… the princess had seemed too distressed at the time though.

Jonathan sighed. Royals were a breed apart, though the current royal family wasn't _raised_ to be royal. Shaking his head, Jonathan headed towards the princess' quarters. He couldn't go inside her rooms, but if he went there, -and stayed _outside_- and asked her to walk with him, he could spare her the gossip.

He knocked politely on the door. The princess' handmaiden, Lola, opened the door. She smiled. We knew each other.

"Well, if it isn't John." He had changed his name, slightly. He had signed the work papers with an extra 'h' in his name. They called him the same name, but it was spelled slightly different.

He smiled. "_Sir_ Jonathan of Swallow's Peak," Jon amended. "Knighted by the king just today!"

"Uh-huh." Lola replied. "Well, _sir knight_, the princess is just waking up. There are couches in the waiting room, if you'd like." The door opened slightly wider. Lola wore a simple gray dress lined with green thread.

He held up a hand. "I'll spare the princess the gossip. How long will it take you get her public-ready?"

"A half-hour or so. I'll need to change her clothes and redo her hair." The miller's-son-gone-knight smiled. "A chair for out here wouldn't be bad." Lola smiled and pass out a rather _uncomfortable_ chair. It was her version of a joke. The knight sighed and sat. His butt was starting to become numb.

True to her estimate, Princess Kali emerged from her royal chambers in about a half-hour. He smiled. "Would you like to walk the gardens? I know you're new here, I was asked to escort you, Your Highness." Kali smiled weakly. Her lips were slightly pale still but she was almost perfect. Her sudden fainting didn't muss her beautiful face. He tried not to stare.

"It would be a pleasure." She said kindly. "What is your name? You were at the ball."

"I am Sir Jonathan of Swallow's Peak, Your Highness. I arrived shortly before you. I am to be a guard for your brother, King Brendan." She nodded. She leaned heavily on him, he noticed. He disregarded it.

"You remind me of someone. My mind seems to get fuzzy about the time I left Four Fields. Tell me, were by chance there at any time? Maybe my family had you over for dinner?"

Jon was startled. He hid it. "No, Princess, I don't believe I ever have, where is Four Fields?" Of course, Jon knew where the small manor lay. He _had_ been there. He couldn't keep her on this track of thought. He couldn't let her remember who he was there.

"Oh," She muttered. "I'm not sure where it lies. I passed out on the way here though I can't quite remember why." She hung her head. "I confess: some sun would do me some good."

The white-blonde haired man took up her arm and led her from the confines of the stone-made walls and tapestries with lush carpets. He led the princess outside into the dimming evening. It was still summer. The air smelled of burning wood and late-night cooking. We sat on a bench near a gurgling fountain.

She smiled. "So, Sir Jonathan, you told me where you came from. What would you like to speak of?"

Jon looked up at the stars, now starting to twinkle in the skies over England. He looked back at the princess. "I'm not quite sure, Your Highness, what interests you?"

"Call me Kali," She whispered. "I hate this 'Highness' business." She took put her hand on his, which rested on his thigh. He cocked his head.

"If I'm to call you Kali, I insist on John." He smiled vaguely. "What's so bad about royalty? You have all the pleasures of the world, servants and nobles alike at your beck and call. What's more to want?"

Her jade eyes looked into his eyes. He could've sworn she saw straight into his soul, his faults, into his secrets. "I want life. Parties," She snorted. "Parties aren't my life. Gossip, tearing each other down, that's not want _I_ want." Neither he nor she noticed the strawberry-blonde hair in the window. The head turned away, shutting the windows silently. If one listened carefully, they would hear the near-silent weeping.

"I was taught that a noble's first priority is to the throne, then their family, then the people, then themselves." Jon said quietly. Kali breathed deeply. Jon assumed she was glad to be rid of the confining (but _extremely_ flattering) dress.

"Why can't I be create happiness for myself?" She asked, truly not understanding, or Jon thought.

"Because," Jon had no answer. "Because we are nobles and nobles are above common folk." He muttered. He momentarily forgot he had been a commoner.

"But _why_ are we above the commoners? Because out ancestors took charge and _declared_ themselves above the commoners! Don't you see? Nobles are commoners with fancy clothes." He put a finger to her lips.

"That talk is close to treasonous. Don't make a habit of speaking such, even to me." Jon stood. He looked up to the sky. "I do believe its time to go back inside."

_-Kali-_

I, of course, had to follow John. What else could I do? Stomp my feet and flat refuse? No, maybe Rose could do that, but I? No. John left me at the door, refusing to enter. I understood. I had gotten enough flack for letting Brendan and Alex inside my room. I went to sleep. Nothing really happened. I dreamt.

_I walked along the hallways of the palace. I heard the women, the ladies of the court, speaking in hushed whispers._

_"Have you heard of this knight, Sir Jonathan?" One, a blonde with a mass of curls, asked._

_"No. They," 'They' was the king. "Say he's from Swallow's Peak." Another not-so-pleasing-to-the-eye lady said. She was overweight._

_"Gwen, you're from Swallow's Peak, was there a Sir Jonathan from there?" The blonde asked a skinny brunette._

_Gwen, the skinny brunette, replied, "No, Sarah, I'm not from Swallow's Peak. I'm from Greenhills. It's near, but not near enough for me to know a knight."_

_Sarah, the blonde rolled her eyes. "Right, I forgot. Now, Cilia, what dirt do we have on the eldest princess?"_

_Cilia, the overweight woman, straightened up in her seat. "Princess Kali, the second of her family-"_

Someone awoke me. I was irritated with these women, Cilia, Sarah and Gwen. Gwen, _maybe_, could be innocent, but she engaged in the rumors. I opened my eyes. Lola stood above me. "Good Morning, Princess!"

She was too happy. I'm not a morning person. "Five minutes," I muttered, rolling over. I felt Brendan's presence inside my mind. _Brother!_

_You're up,_ He commented. _I'd wondered how long it'd take you._

_Hey!_ I knotted my brows. _You _know_ I'm not a morning person!_

_Oh, _right He said. _Greeat. Anyways_- I felt him growing faint -_Mother wants you for breakfast._ His presence left my mind.

I looked back up at Lola. "Looks like I'm getting up, right?"

"Right you are, mistress." Lola commented. Lola, the devious woman she was, demanded I be put into a summer dress covered in bows and frills. I looked in the mirror. I looked like a present. Mind you, I don't mind _one_ bow and maybe a _yard_ of frills. No, my friend, I wore at least twenty bows and three miles of frills. "Um," Lola bit her lip. "Let's go with a more plain one, hm?" I agreed silently. She brought out a new one. It was cream silk with one bow in back and not a frill to be seen. I liked this one _much_ better. I changed into it and left to go to breakfast. Lola, before I had left, insisted on a bun dusted with loose sparkles. I rolled my eyes but allowed her to do my make-up and _finally_ was released into public.

I walked down the halls before I realized I didn't know where I was going. In fact, I didn't know this palace _one_ bit. I had been brought in unconscious and had left the dancing floor unconscious. My mind didn't focus on the directions I had taken to go to the ballroom. It, instead, focused on one blue-eyed, blonde-haired knight. I sighed. It was useless. I'd have to train my mind later.

Another lady appeared. "Your Highness," She bowed. She wore her curly blonde hair in the latest fashion, down. Her dress, far too extravagant for a breakfast, was bright pink with a yard of frills down the front. "Do you require assistance in getting to the breakfast room?"

"Yes," I replied. I remembered at the last minute to speak proper English. "It is kind of you to offer. What is your name?"

"I am Lady Sarah of the Gold Coast." I wondered idly what their famous crop was.

"Well, Lady Sarah of the Gold Coast, lead on." I said carefully. She raised an eyebrow but led. As we passed certain doors or open rooms, she told me what each was, the private meeting room, the hall of petitions et cetera. I hoped no one expected me to remember where everything was.

My joy was unconcealed when we reached the breakfast room. It was a near replica of the dance room. I felt Brendan. _I'm here…_ I muttered. _With Lady Sarah of the Gold Coast._

_Oh?_ He laughed. _She must've been waiting for you!_

_What's _that_ supposed to mean?_

_Oh, nothing. She's just the head-viper in a nest of snakes._


End file.
